Judy Lavoie

I just learned that I have been awarded 2nd Place in the Active Division of the 2022 Online Show of the International Society of Scratchboard Artists (ISSA)! “I Will Twine,” a 7″ x 5″ Scratchbord™ is my winner. It is such an honor to be selected for this prize in an organization representing scratchboard artists from all around the world. You can view the show on the ISSA website and see the unbelievably amazing scratchboards. My scratchboard “Silly Selfie” is … Read More

I had a delightful visit from the inspiration for my new watercolor painting “The Bearded Fiddler,” Mr. Michael Dodge. He is one of the most accomplished fiddlers in the Southeast, hailing from Nova Scotia. Michael played a traditional dance tune “Petronella” on my precious Horner fiddle and showed me how wonderful it can sound! You can hear him live at the Scottish Session every other Thursday eve at our favorite pub, Boyd’s Jig & Reel in Knoxville TN. Check out … Read More

Phew! It has been a very busy few months with my art – not much time spent creating paintings, but with all sorts of art-related activities. I didn’t realize exactly how much I’ve had going on until I took the time to compile this list: Competitions I entered a total of 10 different originals into 3 juried competitions, one accepting only watercolors and the other two open to all media Exhibits – Entered and hung 11 originals and prints in … Read More

For the next 3 days I will be demonstrating the art of scratchboarding – one of my favorite art activities – during the annual Art Show at Tellico Village (Tennessee). I’ll be sharing my scratchboarding techniques, materials, tips, favorite scratching tools, samples of finished scratchboard art, and works in progress. Many are not familiar with scratchboards and I am often asked about how I get so much detail and drama in my scratchboard paintings. Here’s the chance to find out … Read More

It is with surprise, joy and excitement that I announce that TWO of my paintings have been selected among only 41 chosen for “Arts in the Airport” at McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville TN! Juror Althea Murphy-Price has chosen both “Baby Boomer” and “Honeysuckle,” each created in transparent watercolors on Aquabord™. I competed with 498 entries, submitted by 133 talented artists residing in the 33 counties of East Tennessee. Both 2- and 3-dimensional original artworks make up this exhibition reflecting … Read More

“I Will Twine” is a 7″ x 5″ black Scratchbord™ panel. I used the same ball of twine in an earlier painting called “Curious,” with a cat as the focal point. The textures of the twine and the wood in the background were so fun to depict on a scratchboard that I returned to the subject, this time making the twine itself the focal point. I adopted the title for this artwork from the first words of the Carter family … Read More

The Juror for the Tennessee Watercolor Society (TnWS) 2022 Biennial Exhibition has announced his choices. For the 60 slots in this highly regarded show, 104 member artists submitted 192 watercolor paintings. My watercolor “Blackberry Blossom” is among those selected for the exhibit! The Juror is acclaimed artist Stan Miller. Since TnWS is a statewide organization, its exhibition rotates to different regions of the state every two years. This year the show is hosted in Chattanooga: When:   May 14 to June … Read More

After working in watercolors for recent months I’ve been anxious to switch over to scratchboarding again. I was inspired to create an image with various stages of the wild thistle plant, so full of a variety of textures. Using Photoshop, I combined a couple of photos I had taken of wild thistle growing near my house. Thistle is a plant which often has several stages of growth showing at once, including spiny flower pods, fully opened flowers, and the delicate … Read More

I’ve entered these three watercolor paintings into an upcoming exhibition and I invite you to choose your favorite. A professional watercolor artist will act as show juror, picking no more than one from each entrant. The juror’s criteria includes considerations such as proficient use of the watercolor medium, strong composition, creativity, and other factors – and most would agree it is very subjective. I just want to know what you like (and why, if you want to explain)! When I … Read More

Over the past 2 years, Covid-19 has changed life as we knew it. Artists throughout history have recorded historical events – in paintings, poems, songs, photography, and other means of creative expression. “Awaiting A Cure” is my Covid-19 painting. I was driven to create this painting by an incident I experienced early in the pandemic, which, in a simple way, showed how people were suddenly readjusting even their most mundane activities… like buying a pound of bacon. The scene which … Read More